1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removable dental polishing tips which may be attached to a rotating mandrel of a dental engine and used for polishing or finishing a surface of a tooth or various prostetic or restorative materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 170,561, filed July 21, 1980 by DuBe and May, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, discloses various mandrels which may be used with a dental engine to grip and rotate abrasive disks. Simply stated, the present invention is an elastomeric tip having various end configurations which may be resiliently deformed to fit over the mandrel and which contracts to grip the mandrel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,185,388 and 4,447,208 disclose dental polishing tips which include asymmetrical cavities designed to engage and be retained on a similarly shaped mandrel. While those tips perform a function which is similar to the tip of the present invention, the positive engagement between the asymmetrical bores of those tips and their associated mandrels permits no relative slippage between the two. This may lead to an unsafe condition wherein the tip, if caught between teeth or gaps in a dental appliance, will continue to be driven by the dental engine and may cause damage or at least discomfort. The asymmetrical bores of the prior tips require manual orientation of the tip relative to the mandrel and may also be difficult to form.